A cloak a robe within its wraps I be
And from the mirror’s reflection hidden is the scarred me
A cloak a robe upon my shoulders rest
It hides not the hurt deep within my breast
A cloak a robe now a swaddling divine
When held separate from the scars deep within my mind
A cloak a robe within its soft folds I feel
Life and beauty beyond the scar concealed.
Rose Marie Raccioppi
La Pia de' Tolomei, 1868-1880, Oil on canvas, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1828-1882, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
